PENSACOLA, Fla. – Derrick Griffin would not be denied Friday night at Five Flags Speedway.
Griffin, who dominated most of the Modifieds of Mayhem season finale during Snowball Derby week at the historic half-mile oval, was passed by Casey Smith on a late restart with 20 to go and had to dig deep in order to rally back.
Ultimately, the driver of the No. 95 DG Performance entry did just that, tracking Smith back down and making a furious run through turn four with eight laps left to re-take command for good.
From that point, Griffin pulled away to win by 1.489 seconds, marking his first Derby week victory after a decade of trying.
“My fiance is pretty excited,” Griffin said of his victory. “I wasn’t sure what I had left with Casey playing games on the restarts. This one just feels like it was a long time coming.”
Friday’s marathon feature featured 10 cautions and several red-flag stoppages, taking well over an hour to run from start to finish. Twenty-nine modified drivers started the 75-lapper.
Smith, who led laps 56 through 67 after working his way around Griffin, settled for second. Cody Stickler filled out the podium in a race where just 12 drivers finished on the lead lap.
The night was made even better for Griffin by the fact that his friend and client, Kyle Purvis, wrapped up the Modifieds of Mayhem championship with a fourth-place finish.
However, that didn’t mean Griffin could resist a gentle jab at Purvis in victory lane.
“It’s nice to beat Kyle Purvis for once,” Griffin teased. “It’s so cool to see him win a championship. And we’re able to get the win here. I mean, that’s awesome.”
Purvis was both pleased and surprised at the season that resulted in title honors for him.
“Earlier in the year, we weren’t racing up north because of COVID,” Purvis said. “So, I came down here to run the Modifieds of Mayhem tour. I’ve enjoyed everything about running here in the south and this is a really cool night.”
William Skaggs crossed fifth, followed by Johnny Walker, Korey Ruble, Kevin Peel, Jaxon Bishop and Tim Moore.
Augie Grill, a multi-time modified winner during Snowball Derby week, retired from competition after completing just five laps and finished last in the 29-car field.
The finish:
Derrick Griffin, Casey Smith, Cody Stickler, Kyle Purvis, William Skaggs, Johnny Walker, Korey Ruble, Kevin Peel, Jaxon Bishop, Tim Moore, Chris Cotto, Blake Ferguson, Larry Hughes, Bill Prietzel, Jordan Key, Donnie Hamrick, Doug Moff, Austin Evans, Jeff Letson, Scooter Bates, Ander Jackson, Jeff Ganus, Gary Sanford Jr., Parker Pugh, Johnny Wall, Matt Maurer, Jeremy Gerstner, Billy Melvin, Augie Grill.